Red Hawk Ridge:
Award-Winner Places Emphasis On Playability

By David R. Holland, TravelGolf.com Senior Writer

CASTLE ROCK, CO -- When Jim Engh, Red Hawk Ridge's award-winning designer, escorted members of the USGA up to the tee-box perch of hole No. 15 and told them it was a 528-yard par 4 they thought the push-the-envelope architect had pushed a little too far.

"They said 'you can't do that' but after a little explaining they accepted the idea," Engh said, who was named one of "The 25 Hottest Architects of the Year" by Golf World Magazine. "It's downhill, the wind helps you most of the time, and with a hard and fast fairway it's very reachable in two. It's very possible to hit drives more than 400 yards on this hole with the wind behind you.

"What I explained to the USGA was at this altitude (6,400 feet) and this type of course with an abundance of downhill holes, you would have to start making courses 8,000 yards long to really challenge the low-handicap players," Engh said.

Engh's philosophy at Red Hawk Ridge was certainly understood by the award-givers. When it opened in 1999 the national acclaims flowed in -- No. 7 Best New Affordable Golf Course by Golf Digest. GolfWeek picked it No. 19 on its America's 30 Best Municipals and Golf & Travel Magazine selected it No. 27 on its list of America's Top 40 Public Courses.

You can imagine some longer hitters have still said the course is "short", but the City of Castle Rock told Engh they wanted a fun golf course, they didn't want a brutal punishing test that would just make better golfers feel challenged and higher handicappers frustrated.

Engh wanted to find a happy medium.

	Jim Engh

"I could have made No. 15 a 430-yard par 4, but with the downhill nature of the hole most everyone could reach that in two, so I think the hole works at 528 yards," Engh said.

The fun on the back nine consists of three par 3s and three par 5s. Again, Engh found himself explaining to the City of Castle Rock that philosophy.

"I took them to the back nine and pointed to the high ridge-line points and said that's where the par 3s go and pointed to the valleys and said the par 5s fit there," Engh said. "At first they scratched their heads and wondered how I could do that, then the light bulbs went off in their heads and they could visualize my thoughts."

Red Hawk Ridge was then transformed into a 6,935-yard, par 72 dream into a beauty with sweeping views of the front range from its high points, jagged buttes, native grasses and thick scrub oak teeming with wildlife. It features broad fairways with ample landing areas framed by large grassy moguls, strategically placed bunkers, greenside lakes bumped against sand and stacked rock and massive undulating bentgrass greens with tough, thick collars.

• Redlands Mesa Next for Engh • Review: Sanctuary Pushes The Envelope • Review: North Dakota's Hawktree Golf Club • Past course reviews by David R. Holland • TravelGolf.com travel reviews

Standing on the tee of its No. 14 signature hole, a 210-yard par-3 downhill, you can see Long's Peak and Rocky Mountain National Park in the distance along with Pike's Peak to the south. The wind sweeps over your shoulder as your shot flies high and drops 75 feet to the green's surface. Picking the right club is a task.

Risk-reward is the name of the game when you arrive at the finishing hole, a reachable par-5 traversing downhill at 533 yards.

When you go for the green in two you face a comma-shaped putting surface that is fronted by a huge pond surrounded by sand and stacked rock. Pull the ball left and a pot bunker will swallow up your shot, leaving a sand shot recovery. Eagle is possible, but high numbers also come in to play.

"This is a hole that can make an average player really feel good about his round," Engh said. "Many average players can get the exhilaration of reaching a par 5 in two just like the pros, but one little mistake can turn into a double bogey."

A Sad Note: During your round watch for the plaque behind the green at No. 8. While working on the project Dave Breckheimer, a member of the construction crew, was killed in a car crash during a whiteout blizzard.

"Dave was a shaper, the guy on the small bulldozer that turns our blueprint of the course into reality," said Engh. "He was one of the best in the business and a close personal friend. He shaped the bunker on No. 8 and was an integral part of the crew in the construction of Sanctuary. We thought it was fitting to remember him with the plaque."

The new clubhouse at Red Hawk Ridge is scheduled to open in June.

Conditions: A Layout: A Service: A Practice Fac.: A Clubhouse/Pro Shop: A Pace of Play: A Value: A Overall Rating: A

Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course
2156 Red Hawk Ridge Drive
Castle Rock, CO 80104

Telephone: 303-663-7150. Fax: (303) 663-7155.

Internet: http://www.redhawkridge.com.

Green Fees: Prime season $50 weekdays, $53 weekends. Twilight rates and off-season rates available. Call for details. Golf cart $12 per person.

Directions: From I-25 take the Wolfensberger exit, turn west approximately 1/2 mile. Then turn right onto Red Hawk Drive, go about another quarter mile and proceed to golf course on left hand side.

Where To Stay:
Capitol Hill Mansion Bed & Breakfast
1207 Pennsylvania Street
Denver, CO 80203

Telephone: 303-839-5221 or 800-839-9329.
Email: info@capitolhillmansion.com.
Internet: www.capitolhillmansion.com

Your hosts, Bill and Wendy Pearson, invite you to return to a time of Denver's great wealth. The Capitol Hill Mansion was built for the Keating Family in 1891, and was one of the last splendid homes erected before the Silver Crash of 1893, when the government stopped buying silver to support the currency.

A national and state registered historic building, it borders downtown Denver on the east side in one of the most architecturally remarkable areas of the city -- surrounded by historic homes of pioneers, governors, financiers and mine owners.

You will be transformed back to Denver's early days in the Capitol Hill Mansion B&B's eight distinctive guest rooms. There are three two-room suites. Two rooms have balconies, two have fireplaces, one has twin beds. Four can accommodate more than two guests using a rollaway bed, three have whirlpool tubs. All rooms have private phones and there is free onsite parking at the inn. The breakfast is memorable and each guest room has complimentary soft drinks and baked dessert snacks.

The inn has been selected for many honors. Among them: Best of Denver (Westword Magazine), Top Ten New Inns (Inn Marketing). It is inspected and rated annually by major motor clubs and inn associations.

Denver Happenings: The Forney Museum of Transportation has reopened after a two-year move and renovation project. The new museum features the same amazing collection of antique automobiles, carriages, bicycles, farm machinery, engines, trolleys and railroad equipment. The collection was started by James Donovan Forney and began with a single yellow Kissel car in his Fort Collins garage. Today, the museum has 145 automobiles, two airplanes, 11 railroad cars, 60 bicycles and a variety of carriages, wagons and other vehicles.

The Forney Museum of Transportation is located at 4303 Brighton Blvd., one block from the I-70 Brighton Blvd. Exit. Hours are Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults; $4 for youths 12-18, $3 for children 6-11. For information call (303) 297-1113 or visit the web site: 222.forneymuseum.com.